Game apparatus



(No Model.)

W. H. REIFF.

. GAME APPARATUS.

No. 679,080. Patented Mar. 16, 1897.

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Attorney. I

IVILLIAM H. REIFF, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAIVI E APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,080, dated March 16, 1897. Application filed April 23, 1896. Serial No. 588,725. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLIAM H. REIFF, of the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to game apparatus; and it consists of the improvements which are hereinafter described and claimed and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

It is the object of my invention to provide an apparatus for playing games which in ad dition to affording amusement to the players shall be the means of imparting instruction to them.

In carrying out my invention I employ a card orother suitable piece provided with a series of letters or characters suitably disposed upon its surface and a button or head connected with the card by an elastic c011- nection and adapted when projected by the elasticity of the connection to assume a position upon the card upon some one of the letters or characters.

In my preferred construction and method of using the apparatus the card is provided upon its surface with the letters of the alphabet, and each letter upon which the button rests is selected and set down upon a sheet of paper until a certain predetermined number of letters has thus been chosen. The player then forms as many words as possible, using the series of selected letters for that purpose. The button may be provided also with letters on opposite sides, and that letter 011 the button which is presented uppermost when the button comes to rest may be taken also as one of the series of letters.

My game apparatus is thus useful not only for the purpose of affording amusement, but also as a means of practicing the players in spelling.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved game apparatus. Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified form thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the button; and Figs. 4:, 5, and 6 are respectively a plan, side elevation, and edge view of a modified form of button.

A is the card or body-piece, which is pref erably flat and may be composed of a piece of cardboard. On the surface of the cardA are arranged the series of letters or characters a. In Fig. 1 they are disposed in two concentric circles and each included within a ring.

13 is the button, connected with the card A by an elastic connection 0. When the letters a are arranged in a circle, I prefer to fasten the connection 0 to the card at the center of the circle in which the letters are arranged. The length of the connection 0 is such that it will permit the button B to rest on any one of the letters a.

The button shown in Figs. 1 and 3 is flat and its two faces are provided with a letter which may be counted in addition to the letter a, upon which the button comes to rest.

The button is seized between the fingers and the elastic connection is stretched and then released. The elasticity of the connection 0 projects the button forward and permits it to come to rest upon the card A. If it rests upon one ofthe letters a, that letter is taken as one of the series of letters to be used in forming words, as has been stated.

A notch b in the card A may be formed to hold the button when the card is not in use.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the letters are arranged in a single circle, divided into segments a, each containing three letters.

In this card the player may take all three .letters in the segment in which the button rests, or choose any one of the three.

In Fig. 5 is shown a button having a pentagonal surface, each of the five faces containing one of the vowels. In this case the player may take, in addition to the letter a or series of letters 0, the vowel on the button which is presented uppermost.

Instead of letters on the card and button numbers may be used, in which case the number on the button may be the multiple of the number on the card upon which the button rests, the object of the game in this case being to make the highest number of points in a given number of shots.

The details of construction may be varied without departing from the invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A game apparatus consisting of the bodypiece provided on its face with a series of letters or characters, and a button provided on opposite faces with letters or characters and having an elastic connection with the card and adapted to be projected forward by the elasticity of its connection and come to rest upon one of the letters or characters on the body-piece.

2. A game apparatus consisting of a card A provided on its face with a series of letters or characters, a button B connected with the card by an elastic connection 0 and having a series of faces each provided with a letter or character, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A game apparatus consisting of the body- 

